A verticality indicator and adjustable sighting device for archery bows

ABSTRACT

An adjustable sighting device which may be readily attached to all types of bows. A slidable sighting element carries a bead for aiming. Attached to, and moving with said element, there is provided a rotatably verticality reference device adapted to be set at any desired angle by the user in order to compensate for the angular displacement in the holding of the bow.

[ Nov. 26, 1974 United States Patent [1 1 Brougham 3,450,122 6/1969 Diamond........................... 124/24 R [54] A VERTICALITY INDICATOR AND ADJUSTABLE SIGHTING DEVICE FOR ARCHERY BOWS Primary Examiner-George J. Marlo Inventor: George g BOX Assistant Examiner-William R. Browne R.D. #2, Gillett, Pa. 16925 July 20, 1973 [22] Filed:

Appl. No.: 381,252

An adjustable sighting device which may be readily attached to all types of bows. A slidable sighting element carries a bead for aiming. Attached to, and moving with said element, there is provided a rotatably verticality reference device adapted to be set at any 4 J $0 N 3 3 3 2 .1 "4 2 "F1 m 6 "Hr a .8 m L l WM .w UhF 11]] 2100 555 rllrl.

desired angle by the user in order to compensate for [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS the angular displacement in the holding of the bow.

2,987,820 6/!961 33/265 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures A VERTICALITY INDICATOR AND ADJUSTABLE SIGHTING DEVICE FOR ARCHERY BOWS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In archery, aiming is one of the most difficult things to execute. The technique varies with the individual, some utilizing the tip of the arrow as a sighting aid and others concentrating both eyes on the target. The first of these techniques is generally referred to as the gap system, or point of aim shooting, and the other is known as instinctive shooting.

It has long been recognized that following the principles of the sights of a rifle, bows may also be equipped with mechanical aids in the form of sighting devices. A variety of these have been suggested in the past some rather simple and others of complicated form.

Mention is made here, for example, of US Pat. Nos. 3,056,206; 3,488,853; 3,212,190; and 3,579,839, representing a variety of how sights, each having the common purpose of aiding the archer in scoring.

The present invention is directed toward improving for the distance desired. In addition, it provides for a verticality indicator which is not actuated by the force of gravity, but only by the user of the bow, so as to com pensate for his particular stance in the holding of the bow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a front elevational view of the bow sight construction attached to the side of the bow opposite the sight window. This is indicated in dotted outline.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the bow sight shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the sighting device, per se.

FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the bow sight shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the sight shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged front view of a portion of the sighting element showing, in dotted line, the various positions of the verticality reference device.

FIG. 8 is a top view of FIG. 7 and a sectional view of the construction of the verticality reference device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As seen in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, the bow sight consists of a generally U-shaped channel member 11 which may be conveniently mounted by screws 12 and 13 onto the side 15 of the bow which is opposite the sight window 16.

Placed within the channel member 11 and affixed thereto is a guide bar 17 of such cross section as to allow sufficient space for free movement of a sleeve 18 riding over the bar 17. Secured to the bottom of the sleeve 18 is the biasing spring 19 and, affixed to the top, is the sight carrying arm 20 located transverse to the bar 17 and of such length as to extend beyond the front wall of the sight window 16.

At one end of the arm 20 there is provided an index finger 21 which (as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6) rides alongside graduations 22 placed on the side 23 of the member 11. At the other end, the arm 20 has threaded bore holes 24 and 25 to accommodate one end of the bolt 26 which is secured by means of the nut 27. To the other end of the bolt 26 is affixed the bead 29 which may be in the form of a ball or a disc.

Alongside the bolt 26, and extending parallel thereto, is a tubular support 30 which is secured to the arm 20 in any suitable manner. Within the support 30, and slidable therein, is the rod 32 which is bent at a right angle, forming a socket indicated at 33.

The latter is of tubular cross section so as to accommodate the verticality reference pin 34, bent at a right angle. The purpose of this will be further described in connection with the overall operational consideration of the bow sight.

The holding of a bow in aiming position varies with the individual. Theoretically, the bow should be held firmly in a vertical position. However, in practice, there is a slight tilt in the holding of the bow, generally known as the one oclock position. Of course this varies considerably with the individual. Some prefer, or must, by virtue of their hand and grip, hold the bow at a greater orlesser tilt. It is, therefore, desirable to have some reference as to verticality or deviation therefrom, whereby the user has an indication that he is holding his bow in successive aiming positions at the angle best suited for him. This is the purpose of the verticality reference in the form of the adjustable pin 34.

The use of the bow sight herein described is along conventional lines. The sight carrying arm 20 may be adjusted manually to the desired position, depending upon the distance of the target. By this adjustment, the sleeve 18 rides over the bar 17, carrying along the biasing spring 19. The latter rides over the inner surface of the U-shaped channel member 11 in order to assure 'firm positional displacement of the sleeve 18. The

index finger2l thus points to one of the graduations 22 which may conveniently be marked to represent the distance in feet or other units chosen.

Having adjusted the sight arm 20 as to the distance selected, the user shall take the angular placement of the verticality reference pin 34 into consideration. This is an important aspect of the invention, namely, that the pre-setting of the pin 34 at any desired angle de pends on the preference of the individual. It is the reference which determines the tilt he wishes to impart to the bow. He may set the pin 34 up or down to point, for example, in a vertical direction when he holds the bow, although the bow may be tilted at any angle to suit his style.

If preferred, the user may set the pin 34 to indicate a horizontal line at the particular angle at which he usually holds the bow. In any case, the pin 34 is his verticality reference, although, as seen in FIG. 7, it may point at any angle, in any direction he chooses.

It is not a pendulous body which, by virtue of the gravitational force, would normally be true to the vertical no matter at what angle the bow is held and thus requires a scale to be read by the user. Instead, in accor-' dance with this invention, the reference 34 is a fixed element, preset by the user of the bow to a position at which he prefers it to point when he holds his bow. This position tells him that he holds the bow properly for his particular style of shooting.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, the bolt 26 may be placed either in front of the support 30, or in the back thereof,

using the bore hole 25. When so placed, the verticality reference pin 34 is in front of the bead 29. This is merely a matter of choice and an added feature for the user of the bow.

The pin 34 may be made of metal or other material, such as plastic, and colored in order to be easily distinguished from the surroundings. Moreover, it is made to fit snugly in the socket 33 and can be easily replaced should it be broken.

It is to be noted that the arm 20 may also be reversed 180 if desired by re-inserting the sleeve 18 in the position opposite that shown here. The assembly comprising the bolt 26, the bead 29, and the pin 34 will thus be behind the sight window 16. This is merely a matter of choice. In the latter case, the graduations 22 would be placed on the front side of the channel member 11.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific embodiments herein shown and described but changes may be made within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What is claimed is:

1. An archery bow sight adapted to be mounted on the side of a conventional bow, comprising:

a. a U-shaped channel member having a channel formed therein with a bottom wall and side walls;

b. mounting means for attaching said member to a bow;

c. a guide bar disposed within the channel formed by said member and secured thereto, said bar being of relatively smaller cross section than the channel in said member;

d. a sleeve slideable over said bar;

e. resilient means attached to said sleeve and cooperating with said bottom wall, establishing firm contact therewith, but permitting the sliding of said sleeve over said bar;

f. a sight carrying arm affixed to said sleeve in a posi tion transverse to said channel member;

g. a sighting element comprising a bolt threadably supported in said arm in a direction transverse thereto, carrying at one end a sight bead; I

h. a tubular support affixed to said arm in the direction parallel to said bolt and adjacent thereto;

i. an insert in the form of a rod of L-shaped configuration positioned within the tubular confines of said support and adapted to be moved in the direction transverse to said arm and having at one end a tubular channel; and

j. a rotatable verticality reference means, comprising a bent pin rotatably supported in said channel and extending in a direction vertical from said sight carrying arm, the rotational setting of said pin by a user of a bow indicating the angle of verticality de' sired with respect to the angular position of a bow as held by a user.

2. A bow sight in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sighting bead is in the form of a ball.

3. A bow sight in accordance with claim 1, wherein said tubular support is of a smaller diameter than said bolt and is so placed as to be hidden by said bolt when a bow is sighted.

4. A bow sight in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sight carrying arm is provided with an opening located behind said tubular support for the purpose of locating said sighting element behind that of said verticality reference means.

5. A bow sight in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sight carrying arm has a pointer directed toward one of the side walls of said channel, the latter having graduation marks. 

1. An archery bow sight adapted to be mounted on the side of a conventional bow, comprising: a. a U-shaped channel member having a channel formed therein with a bottom wall and side walls; b. mounting means for attaching said member to a bow; c. a guide bar disposed within the channel formed by said member and secured thereto, said bar being of relatively smaller cross section than the channel in said member; d. a sleeve slideable over said bar; e. resilient means attached to said sleeve and cooperating with said bottom wall, establishing firm contact therewith, but permitting the sliding of said sleeve over said bar; f. a sight carrying arm affixed to said sleeve in a position transverse to said channel member; g. a sighting element comprising a bolt threadably supported in said arm in a direction transverse thereto, carrying at one end a sight bead; h. a tubular support affixed to said arm in the direction parallel to said bolt and adjacent thereto; i. an insert in the form of a rod of L-shaped configuration positioned within the tubular confines of said support and adapted to be moved in the direction transverse to said arm and having at one end a tubular channel; and j. a rotatable verticality reference means, comprising a bent pin rotatably supported in said channel and extending in a direction vertical from said sight carrying arm, the rotational setting of said pin by a user of a bow indicating the angle of verticality desired with respect to the angular position of a bow as held by a user.
 2. A bow sight in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sighting bead is in the form of a ball.
 3. A bow sight in accordance with claim 1, wherein said tubular support is of a smaller diameter than said bolt and is so placed as to be hidden by said bolt when a bow is sighted.
 4. A bow sight in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sight carrying arm is provided with an opening located behind said tubular support for the purpose of locating said sighting element behind that of said verticality reference means.
 5. A bow sight in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sight carrying arm has a pointer directed toward one of the side walls of said channel, the latter having graduation marks. 